Four of Twelve
by Danja
Summary: AU. Seven's son comes back into her life in the most dramatic fashion. Sequel to "The Child". Post-"Endgame". FINAL CHAPTER UP! R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

A/N: This is one of the most personal fics I've ever done. I can relate to being expected to know the rules even though you have no idea what the "rules" are.

* * *

_STANWOOD, IOWA_

Tom Palmer stood on his back porch, looking out over the 200 acres of corn spread out before him.

Mother Nature had been merciful this year. After the disaster that was last year's harvest, the corn appeared to be doing well. A field of bright green corn stalks stood at attention before Tom.

All at once, a bright orange ball of fire fell from the sky …

* * *

_WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE  
__DAYTON, OHIO_

"Hello?" Irene answered.

"Aunt Irene? It's Annika," said Seven into her smartphone. She was sitting in a coffee shop that was located inside the base hospital at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

"How are you?" Irene asked.

"Are you sitting down?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Seven replied. "It's just that … you now have a _grand-nephew_."

"You're _PREGNANT?_"

"No … "

"Did you adopt?"

"No … "

"I … don't understand," said Irene, a note of confusion in her voice.

"Chronologically, he's twenty-two."

"What on EARTH are you _TALKING_ about?" Aunt Irene exclaimed, exasperated.

"You know that Borg cube that crashed in Iowa … the one that's been in the news?"

"Yes … "

"The pilot … is my _son_."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Seven paced nervously in the waiting room of the Wright-Patterson base hospital. She was wearing a navy blue blazer, black slacks, and black walking shoes.

One hour became two. Two hours became four … and then six … and then nine. Seven's stomach turned as the hours ticked by.

_I do hope he's all right, _Seven thought anxiously.

* * *

_The phone rang at Seven's home in Arizona._

"_Hello?" Seven answered._

"_Are you Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One?" said a male voice on the other end of the line._

"_Who are you?" Seven asked. "Where did you get that information?"_

"_Are you Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One?" the male voice repeated._

"_That is my Borg designation," Seven replied. "Who are you? Where did you get that?"_

"_My name is Lieutenant Bradley. I'm with the Office of Scientific Research here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base," Lt. Bradley replied. "We extracted a file with your name on it from a recovered Borg drone."_

* * *

"Ms. Hansen?" the doctor called out to Seven. He was wearing cobalt blue surgical scrubs and holding a PADD. "Annika Hansen?"

"I'm Annika Hansen," Seven replied, using her legal name.

"Would you come with me, please?" the doctor asked. Seven followed the doctor down the hall and into a meeting room.

* * *

"I'm Doctor Kendall," said the doctor from behind the desk. He then looked at his PADD and added, "For the record, please state your full Borg designation."

"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One," Seven replied.

Dr. Kendall glanced at his PADD again and said, "That's fine." He was in his late fifties. Curly white hair peeked out from underneath his surgical cap. He had a square face and a ruddy complexion. He wore gold-framed aviator-style eyeglasses.

"What is this about?" Seven asked.

"I'm presuming Lieutenant Bradley informed you of our situation over the phone," Dr. Kendall replied. "Does the designation 'Four of Twelve' mean anything to you?"

"He was my son," Seven replied. "What is this about?"

"Right now, for both medical reasons and for reasons of Federation security, he's undergoing implant removal surgery," Dr. Kendall explained. "Our records indicate you underwent a similar procedure while you were aboard the U.S.S. Voyager."

"That is correct," Seven replied. She then asked, "How is he? Is he alive?"

"Right now, he's in the recovery room," Dr. Kendall replied. "He's alive. He's in stable condition."

Seven let out a breath. "That _IS_ good news," she said, relieved.

"Wait here. I'll have my colleague speak to you," said Dr. Kendall as he got up. He then walked over to the door and left the room.

* * *

"You operated on his mother, Seven of Nine," said Dr. Kendall to The Doctor.

"Yes," The Doctor replied. His balding dark hair was now salt-and-pepper hued with streaks of gray. "I haven't seen her since Voyager returned to Earth." He then added, "I haven't heard that name in years."

"She's down the hall if you want to talk to her," said Dr. Kendall.

"She's _HERE?" _The Doctor exclaimed.

"Yes," Dr. Kendall replied. "I told her you might want to speak to her."

"Do I _EVER!_" The Doctor exclaimed excitedly.

* * *

"Seven of Nine," said The Doctor as he entered the room carrying a PADD.

Seven stared at The Doctor, her jaw agape in amazement.

"Doctor," Seven said finally.

"How are you?" said The Doctor. "It's good to see you."

"What are you doing here?" Seven asked.

"This is a high-profile case. I was brought in as a consultant," The Doctor explained. "What have you been doing with yourself?"

"I've been teaching," Seven replied, collecting herself. "I teach engineering at Burwell College." She then asked, "How have _YOU_ been?"

"I've been teaching as well," The Doctor replied. "I'm on the faculty at Harvard Medical School."

"That's wonderful," said Seven. Changing the subject, she then added, "About my son ..."

"Four of Twelve," said the Doctor as he looked at his PADD. "The surgery went well. He's in the recovery room."

"Can you tell me anything ... about his _father_?" Seven asked.

The Doctor scrolled through his PADD. "He was Bexarian," he replied. "You didn't know?"

Seven grimaced slightly in embarrassment. "This was ... before I came to Voyager," she said.

The Doctor looked at his PADD. _One of_ THOSE _relationships,_ he thought. He then said to Seven, "If you want, you can see your son."

"I would like that very much," said Seven.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Seven entered the recovery room. She walked over to Four's bed and sat down in a chair that stood next to the bed.

Four of Twelve lay in bed unconscious. He was bald. The bulk of his Borg armor had been removed. His shoulders were covered with silver Dermoplast. Just like his mother, he had a cybernetic left hand and the base of an eyepiece surrounding his left eye.

For Seven, the sight of a stripped-down Four of Twelve lying in bed brought back memories of her own arrival on Voyager.

"Four … Four," Seven called out to him as she shook his shoulder in an attempt to rouse him. "Four of Twelve … "

Four opened his eyes. He had his mother's pale blue eyes. There was a ridge across the root of his nose (a genetic holdover from his Bexarian father). His jawline was chiseled.

"Who are you?" Four asked Seven.

"I am your mother," Seven replied.

Four paused a moment and then said, "Searching records."

"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One," Seven said softly.

"Identity Confirmed," said Four.

"And you are Four of Twelve, Secondary Adjunct of Unimatrix Two Four Nine Eight," said Seven.

Four paused as he searched his records. "Identity Confirmed," he said.

"How are you feeling?" Seven asked Four.

Four stared at his hands and arms. "What have they _DONE_ to me?" he wailed.

"It was necessary," said Seven. "It was harming you. That and it was posing a security threat to the Federation."

"Where are the others?" Four cried, an expression of panic in his eyes.

"They're gone," said Seven. "Your link to the Collective has been severed."

"I can't stay here!" Four cried as he tried to get out of bed.

Seven pushed Four back down into bed. "It'll pass," she said. "I felt the same way when I first came aboard Voyager."

"What … is a 'Voyager' ?" Four snapped.

"I was captured by the U.S.S. Voyager while she was stranded in the Delta Quadrant," Seven explained.

"This … 'Voyager' … is a _SHIP?_" Four asked.

"Yes," Seven replied.

"How long ago was this?"

"About fifteen years ago," Seven replied. "I underwent the same procedure that you've just undergone. The same doctor who performed the procedure on you also performed it on _ME_ when we were on Voyager together."

"Dr. Kendall?"

"No … the other one," Seven corrected Four. "The balding one. The EMH."

"Where am I?" Four asked.

"You're in the base hospital at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base," Seven replied.

"Where is this 'base' ?" Four asked.

"Just outside Dayton, Ohio."

* * *

Later that day, Seven took a nap inside her room at Wright-Patterson's on-base guest hotel.

Her smartphone rang. A dazed Seven woke up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Seven? This is The Doctor," said The Doctor on the other end of the line. "I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news."

"What is it?"

"Your son has escaped from the hospital."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Seven and The Doctor were sitting in the back seat of a military police cruiser.

"He is a soldier," said Seven to The Doctor. "He is trained in escape and evasion."

"How do you know this?" The Doctor asked Seven.

"_I'M_ trained in escape and evasion," Seven replied. "We both received the same training." She then added, "He could try to overpower a guard, a soldier, an orderly … any available soft target."

"You sound like you're military," said the driver to Seven. The driver was in his late twenties and had hazel eyes and a angular jaw. Close-cropped brown hair peeked out from under his Air Force issue-beret.

"_EX_-military," said Seven.

"If you don't mind my asking, what's your relationship with our escapee?" the driver asked.

"He's my son," Seven replied.

The driver paused to reflect for a moment and then blurted out, "_YOU'RE_ Seven of Nine?"

"Yes," Seven replied.

_Jesus shit, Mom was a hellraiser back in the day,_ the driver thought. _I'm thinkin' this kid's gonna be Mom on steroids._

"Doctor, what are my son's specialties?" Seven asked.

The Doctor scrolled through the PADD. "All it says here is Light Infantry," he said. He then added, "Is there something I should know about?"

"Everyone starts in Infantry," Seven replied.

"Hold on, I've got a call," said the driver as he tapped his earpiece. "No, Colonel … we're chasing her _SON. _Seven of Nine is sitting in the back seat with me … Why should I handcuff _HER?_ _SHE'S_ not the one in trouble!"

Seven rolled her eyes in exasperation. _Oh, brother, _she thought

"If we're gonna find this kid, we're gonna need her help," said the driver into his headset. "She knows him better than any of us … I _KNOW_ she's Borg … That's what I'm sayin', she knows him better than any of us.

"I'll talk to you later … Peterson out," said the driver. He then asked Seven, "Ma'am, can your son … _ASSIMILATE_ anyone?"

"_I _can answer that … No," The Doctor replied. "His assimilation functions have been deactivated – right along with his capacity to communicate with the Borg."

"He couldn't assimilate anyone even if he _WANTED_ to," said Seven. "For that matter, neither can I."

"He's firing blanks," said The Doctor.

* * *

Four of Twelve approached the entrance to the base driving a golf cart and dressed in blue orderly scrubs. The base (as well all other nearby military bases) was on high alert. The entire base was looking for Four.

Four pulled around to the back of a nearby building. He got out of the golf cart and took note of the security barrier over the road.

Four of Twelve disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

_Seven of Nine, Personal Journal_

_Four of Twelve was born a Borg. He was born in a cube, raised by the Borg, and literally bred to fight._

_He has two modes: Standby and Combat. From the time he was first able to walk and hold a weapon at the same time, he has been a soldier._

_There _IS_ no "Civilian" mode. He doesn't know how to _BE_ a Civilian._

_It's taken me the better part of ten years to learn how to be a civilian again (and I had the benefit of a civilian childhood prior to being assimilated). _

_Four of Twelve is expected to know off the bat how to behave._

_Everything about him is geared towards survival. He has no concept of "good" or "evil" or "right" or "wrong". There is only what benefits him and what is hazardous to him._

* * *

Four walked through the dark alley, still wearing the blue orderly scrubs that he had stolen from Wright-Patterson. He was trim, athletic, muscular, and stood about six-feet-two.

All at once, Four felt the barrel of a gun being jabbed into his back. "Gimme your money," said a male voice behind him.

Four turned around. The would-be mugger appeared to be in his late teens, early twenties. He was lanky, had an angular face, brown eyes, bad teeth, and brown stubble for a beard. Greasy brown hair peeked out from underneath a dirty baseball cap.

In addition to the cap, the mugger wore dirty blue jeans, a red-and-white long sleeve flannel shirt, dirty sneakers, and a blue T-shirt.

"Give me your clothes," said Four.

"What?" the mugger exclaimed.

Before the thief could react, Four gave him a Vulcan nerve pinch that sent the thief to the ground, unconscious (a tactic that he had learned from his mother, Seven of Nine – who in turn had learned it from the Vulcans that the Borg had assimilated previously).

* * *

Mike walked out of Jerry's Bar carrying a black motorcycle helmet.

He walked over to a vintage Harley softail with a candy apple red gas tank cover. He put his hand on the grip and promptly collapsed onto the parking lot, unconscious.

Four appeared over him and grabbed Mike's keys, wallet, and helmet. He put on Mike's helmet, put the key in the ignition, started the bike, backed out, and drove away.

* * *

"Just got a report about our guy over the radio," said the driver. "He stole a motorcycle over in Dayton."

Seven brushed a tear away from her one human eye.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Four of Twelve rode aimlessly through the streets of Dayton on the stolen Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He approached the on-ramp of a freeway heading east.

A Dayton police car shadowed him as got on the on-ramp. Four spotted the police car in his rear view mirror and hit the accelerator. The police car turned on its lights and siren and gave pursuit.

* * *

"Got a report from Dayton P.D." said the driver. "Our guy was spotted heading eastbound on the Three-Ten."

"What is a 'Three-Ten'? " Seven asked.

"Freeway" said the driver as he turned on the military police cruiser's lights and siren.

* * *

Four took note of the speeding Dayton police car following him, its lights flashing and its siren blaring.

Four and the motorcycle disappeared.

* * *

"Now Dayton P.D. is saying the_ motorcycle's_ gone," said the driver.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" The Doctor asked.

"Gone … Poof … Disappeared," said the driver. "Right in front of the unit."

"What is a 'unit'?" Seven asked.

"The police car," said the driver. "The police car that was chasing him."

"He'll surface eventually," said Seven. "He can't keep it up indefinitely."

"What do you mean?"

Seven of Nine disappeared from the back seat.

"_SEVEN!"_ The Doctor exclaimed.

The driver pulled over and stopped the police cruiser. He got out and opened the back door.

"How'd she get out?" the driver wondered.

Seven of Nine reappeared in the back seat of the military police cruiser, her arms folded across her chest.

"Where'd you go?" the driver asked.

"I didn't go anywhere," Seven replied. She then added, "Although, had I wanted to, I could've very easily escaped out the door that you've just opened."

"What _WAS_ that?" The Doctor asked.

"Camouflage," Seven replied.

"I take it Four of Twelve has something similar on _HIM_," said the driver.

Seven nodded. "It's standard issue to all drones," she said.

"So whatever you can do, _HE_ can do as well … "

"Not necessarily," said Seven. "We were assigned to different units.

"We're not unlike most other military organizations. We have specialized units tasked with carrying out specific missions.

"Specialized units carry specialized equipment," Seven concluded.

"What kind of units are we talking about here?" the driver asked.

"I'd rather not discuss it," Seven replied. "It's neither here nor there and it was almost fifteen years ago."

The driver touched his earpiece and said, "Hold on." He then added, "Our guy is holed up in a convenience store in a nearby town. He's taken hostages."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

The parking lot in front of Mitch's Mini-Mart on Route Five was filled with police cars and a SWAT Armored Personnel Carrier. Twenty uniformed police officers and a SWAT team dressed in black surrounded the building.

Police officers and SWAT team members alike had their guns drawn.

The driver, Seven, and The Doctor found the SWAT commander talking to Four through a bullhorn.

_"FOUR OF TWELVE!"_ the commander called out through a bullhorn. _ "RELEASE THE HOSTAGES AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"_

"Excuse me," said the driver. "I have his mother here."

The commander turned around. He took in the woman with the reddish blonde hair standing behind him.

"_You're_ Seven of Nine," said the commander. _The Terror of the Delta Quadrant,_ he thought.

"That is correct," said Seven.

"Maybe you can get through to your son," said the commander as he handed the bullhorn to Seven. _The apple doesn't fall far from the tree,_ he thought.

"How do I use this?" Seven asked.

"Pull the trigger to talk," the commander replied as he showed Seven the trigger.

_"FOUR OF TWELVE!"_ Seven called out through the bullhorn _ "THIS IS YOUR MOTHER! PLEASE COME OUT!"_

Silence.

"Let me go in," said Seven. "I can't hear what he's saying."

"You really want to do this?" the commander asked.

"Yes," Seven replied. "He's my son."

The commander touched his earpiece and said, "Pull back a little. His mother's going in."

* * *

"Four! Four!" Seven called out to Four of Twelve as she entered the building. "Where are you?" All around her, customers were lying on the floor.

"Who's there?" Four cried out.

"I'm your mother," Seven cried out in reply. "Where are you?"

"Back here," Four cried out.

Seven followed Four's voice. He was sitting on the floor next to the beer coolers with his back to the wall (his head out of view of the police snipers outside).

He held a pistol to the head of a young woman (the same pistol he'd recovered from the mugger in Dayton).

"Let the hostages go," said Seven. She then held her hand out and said, "Give me the gun."

"I can't," said Four.

"Why are you doing this?" Seven asked Four.

"I escaped. I did my duty," said Four. "I did my duty as a soldier."

_So_ THAT'S _what this is about,_ Seven thought. _Every soldier has a duty to escape from enemy captivity._

Seven remembered her training. She also recalled how she herself tried to escape from Voyager.

"Your behavior is inappropriate," said Seven. "This is not a battlefield, these people are not your enemy, and you're not a prisoner of war." She then added, "You need help. You need to learn how to live as a civilian."

"I don't want to _BE_ a civilian!" Four whined.

"You have no choice," said Seven. "You can't be a soldier forever. You'll go mad trying." _I've seen it happen too many times,_ she thought.

"I wanna go home," said Four.

"To the Collective?" Seven asked.

Four nodded.

"No, you don't," said Seven. "I wanted to go back to the Borg after I came to Voyager. After a while, I just couldn't do it."

"Why?" Four asked.

"Voyager changed me," Seven replied. "I wasn't able to _BE_ that person anymore." She then added, "Spend enough time on Earth and it'll change you too."

"Why did you _ABANDON_ me?" Four wailed. "WHY?"

_The Doctor must have removed his cortical limiter, _Seven thought. _ The surgery's come a long way since he operated on_ ME.

"Is that what the Borg told you?" Seven asked.

Four nodded in reply.

"I never abandoned you," said Seven. "The Borg took you away from me. They saw you as an impediment to my performance as a drone."

"They told me that if I worked hard enough, someday you would come back ... "

Seven shook her head. "They lied to you. They manipulated you," she said. "You've never needed to earn my love.

"I love you. I love you now and I loved you back then. I visited you as often as I could.

"One day, I found out that you had been moved to another cube far away from me.

"That hurt me more than you could ever know."

"How could I have been so _STUPID?_" Four sobbed. He lay the pistol down on the floor.

Seven crept close to Four, knelt down, took the pistol away from him, and sat down on the floor in front of him.

"You were young and vulnerable," said Seven. "You couldn't have known."

"I found out about Voyager … and about your going to Earth," said Four. "When I learned that my cube was passing close to Earth ..."

"You jumped into an escape pod and came to Earth," said Seven, finishing his sentence.

Four of Twelve nodded.

"Let the hostages go," said Seven.

Four pushed the young woman that he was holding as a prisoner away from him.

"Go ... Get out of here," Seven told the young woman as she ran away. She then got down on her knees and hugged Four of Twelve.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

A/N: My giving Annika the middle name "Christine" is entirely my own invention and is not a part of Official Trek Canon.

* * *

_Seven of Nine, Personal Journal_

_As much as I am loath to indulge in human superstition, I am left with few alternatives. _

_Four of Twelve needs to learn how to function as a civilian. Studying this text the humans call "The Ten Commandments" seems to be as good a place as any to start._

* * *

"You have to stay here," Seven said to Four in the visiting area at the jail. "Attempting to escape will only make things worse."

"What are the rules? What is it that I am _SUPPOSED_ to be doing?" Four shot back angrily. "Everyone is quick to criticize me when I do something _WRONG_, but no one will tell me what is EXPECTED of me!

"Can't I do anything_ RIGHT?_"

"Did you read the pamphlet I gave you from the prison ministry … the one about the Ten Commandments?"

"You're Borg ..."

"Meaning?"

"Since when do you traffic in superstition?"

"I'll admit it isn't much … but it's a place to start," said Seven. "You have to learn how to function as a civilian. Right now, I'm trying to keep you out of jail."

* * *

_Seven of Nine, Personal Journal _

_Principles that most humans take for granted – ethics, morality, rules such as "don't hit" and "don't steal" – my son is having to learn for the first time._

_The world of a soldier is completely and utterly unlike that of most humans. The world of a soldier is that of controlled violence._

_Soldiers are trained to kill on command – a violation of most moral codes. Where else but on the battlefield is the killing of another human being permitted?_

* * *

"This is a preliminary hearing to decide the disposition of the case of People Versus Four of Twelve," said the Judge. "The bailiff will now read the pending charges."

"The defendant is charged with One Count of Grand Theft Motorcycle, Twelve Counts of False Imprisonment, and One Count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon," said the bailiff.

"Thank you," said the judge. "How does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty by reason of insanity," said Mr. Turner, Four's Assistant Public Defender.

The witnesses in the courtroom let out a collective audible gasp. Seven of Nine sat silently in the witness gallery directly behind the defense table.

"_ORDER!_" the Judge commanded as he banged his gavel.

"Defense also requests that the defendant be placed in the Court's pre-trial diversion program for purposes of rehabilitation and mental health treatment."

"The Court will consider the defense's request," said the Judge. "Does Counsel wish to make an opening statement?"

"We intend to prove that the defendant, Four of Twelve, was so impaired by his Borg upbringing that he was unable to form the evil intent needed to commit these crimes," said Mr. Turner. "He has no concept of good or evil, right or wrong."

"Thank you, Counsel," said the Judge. "You may call your first witness."

"I call Annika Hansen to the stand."

* * *

"Please tell the Court your full legal name," said Mr. Turner.

"Annika Christine Hansen," said Seven.

"What is your relationship to the defendant?"

"I am his mother," Seven replied.

"Were you yourself a Borg drone in the past?"

"_OBJECTION!_" the prosecutor, Mr. Schmidt, cried out. "Irrelevant and Immaterial."

"Your Honor, I seek to establish that as a former Borg drone, Ms. Hansen is qualified to speak as an expert on matters pertaining to the Borg," said Mr. Turner.

"Overruled," said the Judge. "The witness will answer the question."

"Yes," said Seven.

"Please state to the Court your full Borg designation," said Mr. Turner.

"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One," Seven replied.

The witness gallery suddenly broke out in a fit of laughter upon hearing the name, "Seven of Nine".

"_ORDER!_" the Judge commanded as he banged his gavel.

"How long were you a Borg drone?" Mr. Turner continued.

"Twenty years," Seven replied.

"What did you do during that time?"

"I mostly killed and assimilated."

"Is the Borg a military organization?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever _ONCE_ live as a civilian during those twenty years that you spent with the Borg?"

"No."

"Were you taught that killing was evil?"

"No," Seven replied. "It would've been counterproductive to our mission of killing and assimilating."

"Were you taught that stealing is evil?"

"No. It was deemed irrelevant."

"In your expert opinion, did the defendant share a background that was similar to yours?"

"Yes."

"Were you inside the convenience store with the defendant on the day that the alleged hostage situation occurred?"

"Yes."

"Did you _SPEAK_ to the defendant?"

"Yes."

"What did he say to you?"

"He said that he escaped and that he did his duty as a soldier."

Mr. Turner went to the Defense table, opened his briefcase, and pulled out a PADD.

"I submit to the Court Defense Exhibit A," said Mr. Turner. "A PADD containing Four of Twelve's medical records. Let the record show that he escaped from the base hospital at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base a few hours prior to committing these crimes that he is being accused of today.

"Let the record furthermore show that Four of Twelve was born in a Borg cube and raised by the Borg. Up until he came to Earth, he has never once lived as a civilian. His entire life has been that of a soldier."

"So moved," said the Judge. "Clerk will record Defense Exhibit A."

"Cross-examine," said Mr. Turner to Mr. Schmidt.

"Ms. Hansen, have you always been a Borg?" Mr. Schmidt asked.

"No," Seven replied.

"How old were when you were assimilated?"

"I was assimilated when I was seven years old.""

"Prior to being assimilated, did you live as a civilian?"

"Yes."

"No further questions," said Mr. Schmidt.

"The witness may step down," said the Judge.

* * *

The SWAT commander, the owner of the stolen motorcycle, the convenience store owner, and several former hostages all testified.

The owner of the stolen motorcycle testified to never actually having _SEEN_ Four steal the motorcycle. (He was knocked unconscious. When he came to, the motorcycle was gone.)

The convenience store owner testified that Four never asked for money - he only took hostages.

A court-appointed psychiatrist testified that Four of Twelve displayed symptoms of dissociative disorder.

* * *

_Seven of Nine, Personal Journal_

_My son went out on his first deployment when he was chronologically five years old (prior to that time, he spent five years in a maturation chamber)._

_At an age when most children on Earth are playing with their toys and riding tricycles, my son was physically a grown man killing and assimilating people._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

The Court ruled that Four of Twelve was not guilty by reason of insanity (He never had a childhood. He never lived as a civilian prior to his arrival on Earth. His entire upbringing had been centered around combat. He was lacking in anything resembling a moral center.)

The Court sentenced him to rehabilitation and mental health counseling at the Desert Pathways Rehabilitation Center in Phoenix, Arizona (The Center was close to his mother, who seemed to be the only person who was capable of controlling him).

* * *

"You have to stay here," said Seven to Four of Twelve. They were meeting in the visiting area at Desert Pathways. "It's best for you right now.

"You _HAVE_ to learn to obey the law. Otherwise, the police will put you in jail _AGAIN_ … the next time, maybe for life.

"This state has the death penalty. They can legally _KILL_ you if you commit a serious enough crime.

"I don't want you to be a criminal. If you complete the program, the court will drop the charges against you," said Seven.

"I am afraid," said Four.

"Of what?"

"Becoming something less."

* * *

_"I can't make any promises," said the Center Administrator a few days earlier. Seven and the Administrator were sitting in the Administrator's office._

"_What do you mean?" Seven asked._

"_He's damaged goods," said the Administrator._

"_I refuse to believe that," Seven said defiantly. "People _CAN _change. _ I _did._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_People used to say the same thing about _ME_ … 'She's dangerous, she's uncontrollable, she's too hardcore. Far better just to throw her out an airlock'. "_

"_Wait … _YOU'RE_ Seven of Nine … "_

_Here we go again, Seven thought. "Yes, I am _THAT_ Seven of Nine," she said, a note of irritation entering her voice. She then added, "I'm not the same person I was twenty years ago."_

* * *

"You ... are _Borg_," said Seven. "You are Borg. _I_ am Borg. Nothing will change that.

"Four years aboard Voyager couldn't do it. This Center won't be able to do it."

"I do hope you are right," said Four.

Four and Seven embraced one another.

THE END


End file.
